This report describes the major crop area estimation element of the 1980 AgRISTARS DC/LC project as implemented by the ESS. Data from NASA earth resources monitoring satellites, LANDSAT II and III, were used in conjunction with conventionally gathered ground data to provide 1980 crop area estimates of harvested winter wheat in Kansas and planted soybeans and corn in Iowa. The major objective of providing these estimates to the Crop Reporting Board prior to each crops annual review was impeded by poor quality and untimely delivery of LANDSAT data. Both Kansas and Iowa SSO's provided a significant contribution to the 1980 project by successfully implementing several pre-analysis functions heretofore performed in a strictly research mode.